Funding for DHS disasters

In the week leading up to Hurricane Dorian, the Department of Homeland Security began moving $271 million from agencies dedicated to natural disasters to increase the number of beds for detained immigrants and support its policy forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases play out. The transfer of funds potentially diminishes resources available for response and relief related to Hurricane Dorian, which has so far impacted the Bahamas, North Carolina and is heading up the eastern shoreboard, says the LA Times and NPR.

Acting DHS Secretary McAleenan claimed the agency was well-prepared for the hurricane suggesting that he was not concerned about inadequate resources. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stationedmore than 1,600 employees in or on the way to Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The American Red Cross opened 170 shelters and evacuation centers. The National Guard and U.S. Coast Guard readied troops to respond once the storm hit the mainland.

It is not uncommon for unassigned funds to be transferred between agencies under the same department as the fiscal year ends. Last year around the same time, about $200 million was transferred, including $10 million from FEMA that prompted major criticism from Democrats. The connection been immigration enforcement operations and natural disaster response emerges because the sprawling 240,000-person Homeland Security Department includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard and the new Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in addition to immigration agencies.

Another consequence of ICE and FEMA being grouped in the same agency is that some have expressed concern about DHS’ presence during disaster response. ICE denied that it would conduct operations during the hurricane. In a statement, ICE said, “Despite false rumors to the contrary, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations at hurricane evacuation sites or shelters, such as during and immediately after hurricanes. A crisis such as the devastation and destruction caused by a hurricane is not a time to compound one tragedy upon another by spreading fear in our community with false rumors of ICE operations.  Instead we must stand as one community to focus on aiding the victims.” 

MHC (H/T Samantha Graff, Colorado Law 3L)